Colin McRae DiRT 2 Hands-on

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We get our hands dirty and take Codemasters' latest off-roader for an early test drive.

By Martin Robinson

The American flats, and a rally-spec Subaru Impreza is cutting an impressive arc through the clear blue skies. After 171 feet spent peddling thin air, it lands with a dense crunch that's soon drowned by a chorus of woots and hollers – a couple of feet either way and the impact could have quaked the driver's spine, but this has been timed to perfection; the only damage being one shattered windscreen and a wing mirror lost in the flight. Ken Block, co-founder of DC Shoes, skateboarder, snowboarder and now rally driver, is the man behind this stunt. 'I don't get nervous, because if I get too nervous it would suck,' he drawls afterwards. Besides, this little feat is nothing compared to the more serious business of threading a car through tree-lined roads at 90 mph.

Target renders, yes, but as GRID proved Codemasters can match its ambition.

This is rally as an extreme sport and it's a long way away from the damp forests of Kielder that form our more traditional perception of the pursuit. We're shown a short video shown of the above spectacle by Guy Pearce, brand director of Codemasters' internal studios, who reveals it's the template for Colin McRae DiRT 2, a game that continues the trend set by its predecessor as it moves away from traditional rallying as it strengthens its appeal to an American market. It's a trajectory that's remarkably similar to that taken by the series' sadly departed namesake – finding himself sidelined in the World Rally Championship, McRae went Stateside and bought his trademark bravura to a new audience via the X Games.

'Offroad racing with extreme sports attitude' is the aspiration spelt out on the studio wall, and while it was a philosophy that was a part of DiRT's cavalcade of disciplines, here it takes centre stage. No better is this exemplified than in London's arena, a fictional drive through the skeleton of Battersea Power Station and the industrial wastes of the Thames' banks. It's an excellent showcase for the game's sizzling visuals, which lean on an improved iteration of the Ego engine that helped make GRID one of the most impressive looking games of last year.

Like GRID before it, DiRT 2 imparts a heightened sense of occasion in its action, injecting the often sterile backdrop of motorsport with a unique life and vibrancy – be that in the banks of lights shining down upon a nocturnal Battersea or the immense virtual crowds that are drawn by the spectacle. That's not the only similarity this game has with its closed circuit relative, as many of the successful introductions of GRID have found their way into DiRT 2. Flashback – GRID's handy little rewind feature – is to make a welcome debut to the series. Making encounters with the unforgiving rocks that litter the sides of many courses a little more palatable, quite how it's to be refined and remodelled for DiRT 2's requirements is yet to be determined. GRID's triumphant career mode will also be making the jump, and in place of the virtual garage that housed that game's solo campaign will be a virtual RV. Reflecting the player's success throughout the game, it's another extension of Codemasters' attempt to structure immersive interfaces, and it looks to be equally successful in DiRT 2.